Cartridge ejector



W 6, 1955 B. MAILLARD CARTRIDGE EJECTOR Filed NOV. 23, 195] UnitedStains 2,725,655 Patented Dec. 6, V1955 v ICARTRIDGE AVEJECTOR .-BernardMaillard, Geneva, Switzerland, assigner 'to Brevets Aero-Mecaniques,Geneva, Switzerland, a .society of France.

Application 'November 23, 11951, vSerial No. V257,690

Claims priority, application Luxembourg November 25, 1950 .that theoperation of ejection of each cartridge -case does not risk injuringthis case in a manner detrimental of the tgood'woking of the arm. Y

It consists chiefly in constituting .the ejector k.device essentially bytwo movable parts ,mounted like a pair of tongs, preferably V'inpivoting fashion, on the breech case ,of uthe arm Lon .either side of`the :path `of travel of the cartridge case when said cartridge case ismoved rearwardly by the movable breech block, said parts beingpositively compelled by said movable breech block, during its recoilstroke, to move from retracted positions toward each other until theybear upon the body of the cartridge case and compel it to swing down byexerting thereon, through a squeezing action which lasts for asubstantial portion of this turning period, a thrust perpendicular tothe movement of the breech block.

Preferred embodiments of my invention will be hereinafter described withreference to the accompanying drawings, given merely by Way of example,and in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 show in horizontal section, respectively in twocharacteristic positions of its operation, a portion of the breechmechanism and in particular of the ejector system ot an automatic armaccording to my invention.

Figs. 3 and 4 show the same portion of the breech mechanism,respectively in sectional elevation and in cross section on the lineIV-IV of Fig. 3, a plurality of successive positions occupied by thecartridge case in the course of the ejector phase being diagrammaticallyshown on these two figures.

Fig. 5 is a horizontal half section of a modification of my ejectorsystem.

The invention will be described with reference to an automatic firearmthe breech block of which is given a reciprocating movement to extract,after every shot has been fired, the empty case from the cartridgechamber of the arm, ejection proper being produced by the combinedactions on said case of an extractor and of an ejector device.

The arm as a whole may be of any conventional design.

A barrel (not shown) is fixed to the end of a breech case 1 in whichmoves a breech block 2 adapted to keep, through its front edge, thecartridge in firing position when percussion is to take place.

The lower portion of the front edge of the breech block 2 carries anextractor 3 (Fig. 3) advantageously constituted by a pivotally mountedkind of hook which is partly retractable against the action of anelastic syst 2 Y t tem, said hook being yadapted to engage into yacircular groove 4a provided inthe rear part of every case 4.

VIt will lbe readily understood that `such an extractor supports thecase 4 to be extracted and holds it 4applied against the front Vedge ofbreech block 2 during a lirst portion of the recoil stroke thereof (thedirection of which 'is indicated 'by arrow 'F in Fig. 1), until theejector device which will now be described lentersiinto action.

Y According to my invention, -this lejector deviceincludes two movableparts Ymounted like a'pair lof 'tongs lon Vbreech box l on either sideof the path of travel of 4cartridge case 4 land located above the levelof the axis of the barrel (supposed to be horizontal), these 'movableparts being Aadvantageously Vconstituted by 7two ejector levers 5pivoted about pins 6 rigid with the top wall of .breech case l. yandperpendicular to said wall.

These `ejector levers 5 lare controlled by breech `block 2,-during itsrecoilstroke so that said levers leave, Vat a `certain time, theirretracted vpositions shown by Fig. il, and their ends 5a located aheadof pins 6 move toward each-other until they bear upon the body of thecartridge case 4 in zones thereof located above the horizontal plane`passing through the barrel axis and substantially vsymmetrical to eachother with reference 'to the vertical Yplane ypassing through saidbarrel axis.

The cartridge `case will thus be compelled to swing Adown (thefsuccessive positions of said casein "thecourse of this movement beingshown-by Figs. 3 and Ait)l due to the squeezing action to which it issubjected, which "cre- ,ates :ascontinuous thrustperpendiclilar to thedirection of the recoil movement of breech block 2, in which recoilmovement cartridge case 4 participates as long as it is not disengagedfrom extractor 3.

Preferably, only the active stroke of the ejector levers 5 is positivelycontrolled by breech block 2 during its recoil movement, said leversbeing returned into retracted position, during the frontward returnmovement of said breech block, by elastic return means constituted, forinstance, by two springs 7 inserted respectively between each side wallof breech box 1 and the rear branch of the corresponding ejector lever5.

This positive control of the active stroke of each ejector lever 3 bybreech block 2 may be obtained, in particular, either by causing anabutment rigid with said breech block to cooperate with an inclinedsurface of the lever to be controlled, or by providing the breech blockwith an inclined surface capable of cooperating, in camlike fashion,with an abutment carried by the lever.

In the first case, according to a construction illustrated by Figs. l to4, the curved inner edge of the rear branch of each ejector lever 5 isacted upon by the straight rear edge of a projection 2a carried by theupper rear face of breech block 2, each rear edge of this projectionbeginning to act upon the corresponding lever 5 as it passes oppositepins 6 (position shown by Fig. l), then cooperating with the portion o aof the control inclined surface to bring the front end 5a of the leverinto contact with cartridge case 4 and finally to compel, as said rearedge is moving along the rear portion a b of the control surface, thefront end 5a of the lever to drive said case toward the outlet orifice sprovided in the bottom wall of breech case 1 (intermediate positionshown by Fig. 2).

In the second case, it is possible, for instance as shown by Fig. 5, tohave the rear ends of ejector levers 5, advantageously provided withrollers 8, acting directly upon a double cam 2b carried by breech block2.

It will be understood that it is possible to exert a certain inuenceupon the law of movement of the swinging down movement of case 4 bysuitably choosing the transverse prole of the bearing surface of ends 5a(which surface acts as a pushcam during the transverse displacement withrespect to case 4) and/or the prole of the control cam oab (case of theembodiment illustrated by Fig. 5).

Account being taken of these possibilities, the swinging down movementof case 4 will be preferably accelerated positively during the wholetime the ends 5a of the ejector levers S cooperate, in wedge-likefashion, with the body of case 4. Y

This ejector system swings down the empty cartridge cases and drivesthem out inta way comparable to what takes place when a cherry stone issqueezed between the thumb and forefinger.

An important advantage of my invention is that the ejector system actsupon the cartridge case by gradually squeezing it, without risk ofdeteriorating said case in such manner as would interfere with the goodoperation of the arm (projection of metal scraps into the breechmechanism, variation of direction of the ejection thrust due to localdeformations of the sleeve, etc.).

Furthermore, it is well adapted to achieve an acceleration of theswinging down movement of the case during a substantial portion of theejection phase, which makes it possible to increase the average speed ofevacuation of said case, such a result being particularly interestingfor firearms tted on aircraft.

In a general manner, while I have, in the above description, disclosedwhat I deem to be practical and eticient embodiments of my invention, itshould be well understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto asthere might be changes made in the arrangement, dispostion and form ofthe parts without departing from the principle of the present inventionas comprehended within the scope of the accompanying claim.

What I claim is:

In a firearm including a barrel, a breech case rigid with said barrel,said breech case having an aperture in one wall thereof, and abreech-block and extractor slidable longitudinally in said breech case,a cartridge case ejector device which comprises, in combination, twoejector levers pivoted intermediate the ends thereof to said breech caseabout axes perpendicular to the apertured wall, the axes being locatedsymmetrically with respect to the plane of symmetry of said barrelperpendicular to the apertured wall and on either side thereof, saidejector levers having their front ends located in a plane spaced fromthe barrel axis on the side of the axis opposite to that side on whichthe apertured wall is located and at a distance therefrom smaller thanthe radius of the cartridge case, upwardly and inwardly inclined camsurfaces on the front ends of said ejector levers, and cooperating cammeans carried by said breech-block and the parts of said ejector leverslocated rearward of the pivot axes of the levers for driving said frontends of said levers toward each other and toward said plane of symmetryduring the recoil stroke of said breech-block so that the cam surfaceson the ejector levers engage the cartridge case and guide the movementthereof as a component of the thrusts exerted by the ejector leverscause the cartridge case to pivot about the extractor and be ejectedfrom the firearm through the aperture in the wall of the breech case.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,146,536 Swebilius et al. July 13, 1915 1,208,892 Barnes Dec. 19, 19161,702,063 Swebilius Feb. 12, 1929 1,786,207 Hudson Dec. 23, 1930 FOREIGNPATENTS 385,504 Great Britain Dec. 29, 1932

